Miracles
by Serotiny
Summary: Toph Bei Fong has always been an avid believer in miracles. Even as she has her own worries, the earthbender hopes for better things. After all, Toph has always believed in the impossible. Tokka. One-shot.


Heh, heh, heh. Well, I forgot to put this in the first time around so...

**Disclaimer**: I absolutely, positively promise you that I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. At least I don't think I do... Yeah.... I am pretty sure I don't.

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Miracles.

Toph had always believed in miracles.

Her life, it would appear, had always been full of unusual circumstances and other happenings. Her affinity for earth, her blindness… The list was endless.

Looking back on her younger years, Toph had to admit that she could still see the miracles there. Of course when she was still young; she still thought that her life was the epitome of boringness. In fact, back then, she believed she had a very sagely way of thinking. How ridiculous and arrogant it was of her to think of herself so highly.

Now that she was lost in the forgotten air temples in the Fire Nation, Toph was beginning to have a nostalgia feeling for home. Surprisingly, not the Bei Fong's ancestral home. No, she would rather be back in the Earth Kingdom. Her first, true home.

It was almost humorous that all of Toph's life, she had been searching a place to call home. To her, the entire feelings of safety and comfort were tied together with having a true home. Many people (granted that they were rich aristocrats) had argued with the Earthbender that she already did have a home. People that had heard her make a statement like that would first accuse her of being very selfish to want more than she already had. Then, they would express their jealousy of Toph's life and how grateful _they_ would be if they were her.

These kind of accusations had made Toph very angry when she heard them, though most couldn't see it behind her gilded, painted, and emotionless mask.

Toph Bei Fong could see where the people who expressed their beliefs were coming from but she couldn't word her desires in a way that was understandable.

It was true that Toph was very blessed beyond her understanding. She had a mother, a father, and a beautiful, exquisite home. She had food that could rightfully say that it was made for a king and a over-cushioned bed made of satin and stuffed with rare chincilla-parrot fur to lie down on. She had teachers come to her, through her parents, who could be considered the most brillant minds of the age, teaching her things she doubted that the Fire Lord, himself even knew. She had all this and more but the question still remained: Was that a home?

Her two best friends were considerably poorer than she was. They had ordinary clothing, meager food substances, a small, humble home, and each other but just look at them. Every day, one could just look at the way Katara lovingly stroked her mother's betrothal necklace or the way that Sokka spoke with pride as he retold the stories of his father taking down some Fire Nation ship through an ingenious way. The Water Tribe children were paupers but she desired what they had. Toph Bei Fong was jealous.

Her other friend, the airbender, Aang, was also bereft and without a home, so at first, she felt closest to the Avatar. Then, however, Toph realized that her first assumption was incorrect. Aang was far from the home she was searching for. Though his kin was long dead, he had found a home in the likes of their small gang. Through them he had means to comfort and support for the tough role of being an Avatar and a bridge to the Spirit World. He had found his family.

And her last and newest friend, Prince Zuko was someone that she empathized the most with. He reminded her of herself when she had first come to meet the gang. Timid, nervous, afraid. Toph could tell that Zuko still thought that he wasn't worthy enough to be part of their group because of all the damage he had done to each individual. While it was true that Katara had yet to completely forgive Zuko (how Toph wished that she knew what had happened in those dratted crystal catacombs!), Toph knew Katara and knew that she was too kind-hearted to truly loathe someone forever.

But still, despite all her woes and sorrows, Toph still believed in miracles.

Just this morning, something happened that Toph didn't believe that would happen to her in her entire lifetime.

The miniature family had been sitting around the fire waiting for Katara to fish cooking their simple meal of rice for breakfast. Everyone had been joking and laughing about nonsense the way that only a true family could. They were steadily relaxing with the ease that came to them when they were gently jibing one another.

At first, it had been a discussion on which nation was the best of the four.

That was just asking for trouble.

Then it morphed into what element was the best. Aang argued that air always would be the best element because who does not wish to fly. Toph retorted that only loony people would want that kind of thing and reasonable people would want a very reliable kind of element. Like her earth. Katara inserted herself into the argument and said that water was obviously the best because of its useful amorphous ability. Zuko quietly added that he had always preferred fire to anything else because it symbolized the advancement of human intelligence. And while all this was going on, Sokka was secretively adding his own comments to the melee of words. He would subtly agree with one statement and then question another statement made against the first statement. At first he was enjoying himself but after a while, Sokka was sorry that he furthered the great debate.

Twenty minutes later and they were still going strong. Aang, being the Avatar and sort of their leader of their posse, made a suggestion that Sokka decide which one was best. All eyes turned to him.

Sokka found it hard to look into each one: the gray and placid eyes of the airbender, the cerulean and emotional eyes of the waterbender, the golden and capricious eyes of the firebender, and the mint and stern eyes of the Earthbender. Almost all were confident that he would pick _their _element. All except for the light green eyes.

To her astonishment, Sokka said, "Well, being the kind of warrior that I am I would have to choose earth. I need reliability to depend on in time of war. The element of earth has each quality of the other three elements as well as its own special qualities."

"Earth can be very similar to water because of its fluidity and the way the earth flows. Toph also has her own fluidity to her earthbending dance I sometimes see her do when she fights bad guys...," noticing Toph's growing frown, Sokka quickly stumbled away from the subject of her being a dancer in her own right.

"A-Anyways," Sokka went on, "And just like fire, the earth can be explosive and volatile sometimes. Just like Toph's spurts of anger, typically at me. Last," he looked at Aang," But certainly not least, is air. Even though earth is naturally the opposite of air; they do share similarities. Such as air's most noted quality would be its freedom, earth also is sometimes very giving and sometimes very lenient." As his monologue was continuing, Toph's blush deepened and the others' smirks grew.

Ignoring them, Sokka had only eyes for Toph. His voice continued to soften. "For me, though, what I love about the earth is that it is solid and strong and unyielding. It is proud and doesn't submit to anyone. The stability and strength it offers to those who ask is astounding. When all else fails, the earth will remain."

Everyone was very silent until Katara attempted to make a sarcastic comment. "Is it earth or Toph you 're talking about, Sokka?"

Judging by the soft chuckles coming from the two boys to the left and the right of her, it was a success.

To Sokka, Katara might as well had been a whisper on the wind. So slowly that his physique belied his gentleness, he padded to Toph's side by the fire.

Almost as if they were silently communicating, Sokka asked for her permission to touch her. Toph acquiesced to him by slowly lifting her face to meet his and was thankful that the red glow from the fire made all complexion look crimson.

He pressed his fingertips to Toph's cheek who then unconsciously leaned into his touch. Both were unaware of the soft, loving smile that was growing on their lips as they relished in each others company. For several heartbeats, time stood still.

"And you have to admit it," Sokka grinned, as he slowly backed away from Toph and into his original spot in the gang's circle, "Toph's element can be very terrifying if used properly and if I didn't pick earth, she'd probably launch me into the sky." With this comment, Sokka gave another gentle and teasing grin to Toph not noticing her growing blush.

The moment had passed.

"Wow, Sokka," the Fire Nation Prince teased, "It appears to me that you have put much thought into that matter."

"Well…I…you see..." Sokka sputtered.

They all laughed at his inability to produce a coherent sentence. And the topic, for right now, was quickly forgotten.

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Katara got up to reapply the ice to Toph's burned feet.

She got up from her spot around the fire and moved to the ancient fountain. With ease, she waterbended the water from it and formed a small block of ice. She quickly glanced at Toph to notice that she was in one of her pensive moods. Without a thought, Katara patted Toph on the back reassuringly. Once more, she took her seat by the fire and argued with Sokka that his meal wasn't burned; it was just extremely crispy.

Toph was oblivious to it all and was letting her bangs cover her eyes as she pondered the topic of hope.

So perhaps the tiny Earthbender was being foolish into thinking that the Water Tribe boy would ever love her. But she knew that all her friends would disagree vehemently.

Once more, going into her deep thoughts, she failed to hear or feel the sound of footsteps approaching.

Yes, Toph was always a believer in miracles.

So many had happened to her recently such as the conversion of Zuko from evil prince to faithful companion. Her parents were still a tough situation and she did not know if they would ever forgive her but she was positive that things, after the war was over, would settle down. Hopefully, then she could ask her parents for forgiveness. And most importantly, she got a small hint that perhaps her best friend might like her as much as she liked him.

She liked to imagine that she could sometimes almost see the future of the world after the war was over. She could see that, though the nations would be bitterly angry with the Fire Nation, in time, peace and tranquility would finally occur. She could see that, eventually, the Air Nomads would return and their world finally be true balance and harmony within the four elements. She could see her relationship with Sokka deepening and expanding as they learned more and more about each other and she felt their love growing for their significant other every day, every year. And most vividly of all, she could see her family, a family consisting of a gentle avatar, a stupid warrior, a motherly waterbender, a banished prince, a blind bigmouth, a giant bison, and a flying lemur, growing with one another a living, together, through all the trials and tribulations life had to throw at them.

It would be considered stupid to want to be with such a group of oddities but Toph would trade her earthbending for them in a heartbeat. She had finally found her true home and a true sense of belonging.

"Ready to go now?" A rough voice murmured into her ear sarcastically.

Toph did not reply and Sokka did not expect her to. Ignoring his sarcasm, she leaned her back into his side and automatically swung her arms around his neck.

He tenderly picked her up and walked away from the unexplored area of the temple bridal-style. And together, they trotted away from the damp, depressing, and decaying building and into the encirclement of their smiling friends and the bright, new, and miraculous day.

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So, I hope that you enjoyed this Tokka one-shot and I hope that you review. Thank you!


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